At age six, Joe Byrnes didn't appear an exceptional talent. No one knew the type of all-around force he would one day become.

By Craig GilvargDaily News staff

ASHLAND — It began for Joe Byrnes the old-fashioned way — in the backyard with his dad, a baseball being tossed between two gloves. At age six, he didn't appear an exceptional talent. No one knew the type of all-around force he would one day become.He wasn't groomed for three-sport stardom. He came to it on his own."He sort of grew into each sport as he started to play," said John Byrnes, his father.It wasn't even until age 11 that Byrnes started playing basketball, admittedly not all that well. Certainly, you couldn't tell this was the player who would lead the Clockers to a 19-0 start this past winter.But as he went on, and his body matured, his raw athleticism was honed through a sheer desire to be the best player on the field at all times."That's what always drove me," said Byrnes.By the time he reached high school, that combination of talent and a competitive edge made him among the best athletes in his class. As a freshman, it was clear this was a young man with serious potential. He spent the last two years living up to it.Time off has never been in the forecast for Byrnes, and that's the way he wants it. Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball come spring time. Wash, rinse, repeat.And none of this ever came at the expense of academics. Byrnes graduated as a member of the National Honors Society. He was a captain and league All-Star in all three sports. He set records, won games, and spearheaded a resurgence of athletic success at a small school that had struggled in the competitive Tri-Valley League. For those reasons, Tufts saw fit to bring him in to play — you guessed it — two sports. It is for those same reasons, and more to follow, that Byrnes has been selected as the 2014 Daily News Male Athlete of the Year.

Better late than neverAndrew MacKay was on the lookout. He was taking over a team that hadn't won a game in over two years, owners of a demoralizing 25-game losing streak. The Ashland alum was brought in to change the fortunes of his alma mater. No small task.And so he started from the ground up. First, he needed athletes. He started the recruiting process by consulting the opinions of people in town. One name kept popping up."Ashland is a small town," said MacKay. "I heard some things about Joe, and then I got to come in and watch him play basketball and see with my own eyes what kind of competitor he was."This, MacKay knew, was the type of player he needed. But first there was the matter of getting him to come out for the team.Byrnes — whose parents John and Liz are both neurosurgeons — wasn't allowed to play Pop Warner. They knew the dangers associated with head-related injury, and they had an understanding. If Joe wanted to play football, he could wait until high school.But by the time his freshman year rolled around Byrnes had decided to commit himself to basketball."He just wasn't really interested in football that first year because he had never done it before," said Liz.But MacKay knew the promise a player with Byrnes' strength and speed held, and so he made his pitch."He was going to build a program that was going to win," said Byrnes. "And he told me if you really want to make a mark on this school, then football would be the way to go."He joined the team as a sophomore.Though new to the sport, he was able to compensate through natural ability. MacKay planned to bring him along slowly as a receiver. The facts on the ground said otherwise. Simply put, Byrnes made it impossible to take him off the field. Before long, he was starting at receiver and safety.Ashland broke its losing streak in the first game of that 2011 season, a 46-8 dismantling of Marian. In his first game, Byrnes introduced himself with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown. Ashland was back.Teams made a conscience effort not to let Byrnes beat them. Rare was the snap he wasn't faced with double coverage. And yet he still found ways to be productive."His junior year was his best year statistically," said MacKay. "But that was him just being comfortable as an athlete. Becoming a football player didn't really happen until this year when he understood why we did certain things. He became a very selfless player this year."A team that hadn't won a game in two-and-a-half years preceding Byrnes' arrival went 6-5 in 2013, its first winning record since 2008. And in just three years, Byrnes set school records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He finished his career with 143 catches for 2,712 yards and 26 touchdowns to go along with five kick returns for touchdowns and nine interceptions. He'll continue his career on the gridiron with the Jumbos in the fall.

Near-perfectAs Byrnes puts it, his favorite sport tends to be whichever one he's playing at the time. But if he's being honest, his first true love was basketball.Byrnes was a four-year starter for coach Mark Champagne, a shooting guard who wasn't afraid to bang bodies in the low post. Though just 5-foot-10, he consistently led the team in rebounds. When he joined the team as a freshman, the Clockers were a middling team. They improved every year, culminating in this season's perfect 19-0 start.The highlight came in a 73-65 overtime victory against rival Hopkinton, a win that brought the Hillers to 19-0. Byrnes had 10 points in the game, but as usual, it was his play away from the ball that created opportunities for his teammates. He finished the season averaging 14.5 points per game while pulling down 5.4 rebounds. Despite not having the strongest numbers in the league, he was named the MVP of the TVL."He allowed other players to improve," said Champagne. "He did a lot of the hard stuff. He's just really a very tough-minded kid. He made everyone else better, because everyone knew what Joe was and other teams always had to account for him."

Last hurrahLiz Byrnes has never quite understood her son's habit of seeking the big moment."It's very nerve-wracking," said Liz. "I used to always say to him, why do you want to be the kid pitching in relief? Or the kid taking the last shot? But he always does."The big moments have defined Byrnes' time at Ashland. So naturally, in the denouement of his high school career, the baseball team turned to him in a moment of desperation.With an 8-9 record and three games remaining, Ashland needed two victories to qualify for the state tournament. The Clockers were facing a 7-2 deficit in the sixth inning against Dover-Sherborn. Things looked bleak.And then Byrnes led off the inning with a single. It turned out to be the spark Ashland needed. The Clockers rallied for a 9-7 victory that put them one win away from the postseason.In the next game against Millis, Byrnes went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Ashland punched its ticket to the tournament."He just lit us up," said Ashland baseball coach Matt Messer. "If we don't win that game I don't see us making the tournament."Byrnes started in center and hit third for nearly every game in his four-year tenure."I think that shows a lot about how hard I worked with baseball for my whole life," said Byrnes.As a senior he hit .352 with 18 runs and 14 RBIs while making five appearances on the mound, going 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA. After defeating Hopkinton twice, his teammates took to calling him "The Hiller Killer." He'll join a Tufts team that went 34-9 last season.

Looking aheadMesser has had a better look at Byrnes than most. Aside from baseball, he works as an assistant on both the football and basketball teams. He's been there to see it all — two TVL all-star selections in football, the MVP season in basketball and two more all-star seasons in baseball."You don't really see it nowadays, a three-sport all-star," said Messer. "I don't know if Ashland has ever seen a kid like this, and I don't know if they'll ever see it again."Which is why he's confident Byrnes will be able to handle what will undoubtedly be a grueling schedule once he reaches his new home at Tufts. Balancing the rigors of a collegiate sport with academics and a social life is difficult enough. Byrnes will do it while taking on two sports. Nary a moment to spare for Mr. Ashland. But that's nothing new."If there's one thing I've learned in the past three year it's to not doubt Joe Byrnes," said Messer. "I think it's going to be very difficult, two sports in college. I hope he does it. And hey, if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen."But that kid will die trying, I'll tell you that much."Craig Gilvarg can be reached at 508-654-6241 or cgilvarg@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @CraigGilvarg.